Processing apparatus and processing method

ABSTRACT

A processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a container  3  that contains a plurality of objects to be processed w, the container including an outlet port  3   a  formed in a front surface thereof for taking out the object to be processed w, and a lid  3   b  for hermetically sealing the outlet port  3   a;  a loading area Sa into which the container  3  is loaded; a conveying area Sb whose atmosphere differs from an atmosphere in the loading area Sa; a partition wall  6  that separates the loading area Sa and the conveying area Sb from each other, and has an opening  13;  a door  14  for opening and closing the opening  13  in the partition wall  6;  and a stage  10  for placing the container  3  at a position near the opening  13  in the loading area Sa. Parts to be pressed  20  are provided on opposite sides on a side of the front surface of the container  3.  The partition wall  6  is provided with a pressing and holding mechanism  23  having a pressing roller  22  that rides on the part to be pressed  20  of the container  3  from a lateral side to press the container  3  against the opening  13  in the partition wall  6  and hold the container  3  tightly in place.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromthe prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-239045 filed on Sep. 4,2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processingmethod for taking out an object to be processed from a container coveredwith a lid, and subjecting the object to be processed to a predeterminedprocess such as a heating process. In particular, the present inventionrelates to an art for pressing the container against an opening in apartition wall and holding the container tightly in place.

2. Related Art

As one of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, there is a batch-typeheat-processing apparatus that thermally processes a number ofsemiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”). Theheat-processing apparatus includes a carrying-in region into which acarrier as a container containing a plurality of wafers is carried by anautomatic transfer robot or an operator, and a loading area as aconveying region in which the wafers in the carrier are conveyed to aboat as a holder, and the boat is loaded into a heat furnace andunloaded therefrom.

In this heat-processing apparatus, in order to make cleaner anatmosphere in the loading area than an atmosphere in the carrying-inregion and to prevent generation of a natural oxide film on a wafer, itis preferable to separate the carrying-in region on an atmospheric sideand the loading area from each other by a partition wall, and that aninside of the loading area is filled with an inert gas such as anitrogen (N₂) gas to form an inert gas atmosphere. In this case, with aview to preventing particle contamination of a wafer, it is morepreferable to employ a carrier (also referred to as FOUP: Front OpeningUnified Pod) of a hermetically closable type, whose wafer outlet port ina front surface of a carrier body can be hermetically closed by a lid.

FIG. 7(a) shows that a hermetically-closable type carrier is in contactwith the above-described partition wall. The reference number 6 depictsthe partition wall that separates a carrying-in region Sa and a loadingarea Sb from each other. The reference number 13 depicts an openingformed in the partition wall 6. The reference number 14 depicts a doorfor opening and closing the opening 13. After the carrier 3 is placed ona conveying table (stage) 10 disposed in the carrying-in region Sa, theconveying table 10 is moved forward so that a front peripheral part ofthe carrier 3 comes into contact with an opening peripheral part of theopening 13, and thereafter a lid 3 b is opened. In this case, thefollowing procedures are further preferred from the viewpoint ofpreventing increase in oxygen density in the loading area Sb. That is tosay, the lid 3 b is opened by a lid opening/closing mechanism while thedoor 14 is being closed, and then an atmosphere in the carrier 3 isreplaced with a nitrogen gas by a nitrogen replacing unit, not shown.Thereafter, the door 14 and the lid 3 b are retracted from the opening13, and a wafer w in the carrier 3 is loaded into the loading area Sb.Such an art is described in JP11-264267A.

A related art is described in JP2004-6804A.

For the purpose of preventing sucking of particles from outside into theloading area Sb, and increase in oxygen density in the loading area Sb,it is desirable that an inside of the loading area Sb is maintained at apressure sufficiently higher than an atmospheric pressure. However, inthe heat-processing apparatus, the carrier 3 is merely fixed on theconveying table 10 by means of a fixing mechanism having a locking part40 of an inverted L-shape, which locks a bottom part of the carrier 3 onthe conveying table 10. Thus, when the door 14 of the partition wall 6is opened (i.e., when the lid 3 b of the carrier 3 is opened), as shownin FIG. 7(b), because of a pressure applied from the loading area Sb tothe carrier 3, an upper part of the carrier 3 is inclined toward thecarrying-in region Sa to invite the following disadvantages. Namely, thenitrogen gas may leak from the loading area Sb toward the carrying-inregion Sa to increase an oxidation density in the loading area Sb. Inaddition, it may be necessary to control the pressure in the loadingarea Sb to prevent the inclination of the carrier 3. Further, TAT isdeteriorated. Furthermore, erroneous opening and closing operations ofthe lid 3 b of the carrier, and a wrong mapping operation of the wafersin the carrier may take place.

Patent JP2004-6804A describes an art for stabilizing a posture of thecarrier even when a feed rate of an inert gas is high so as not to breaka sealing condition between the partition wall and the carrier, when anatmosphere in the carrier is replaced with an inert gas, after thecarrier is brought into contact with the partition wall and a lid memberis opened. That is to say, JP2004-6804A describes that a pressing memberis disposed on the partition wall on a side facing the carrying-inregion, the pressing member being rotatable about a horizontal axisbetween a position in which the pressing member stands and a position inwhich the pressing member lies to press an upper surface of the carrier.Thus, after the carrier is placed on the conveying table and is broughtinto contact with the partition wall, the pressing member is rotated topress the upper surface of the carrier. Under this state, the lid memberof the carrier is opened, and an inert gas is supplied from an inert-gassupply pipe into the carrier. However, this art requires a sufficientspace for installing the pressing member, above the carrier on theconveying table. When this installation space is not secured, it isimpossible to employ this art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances.The object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatusand a processing method capable of preventing a container from beinginclined by a pressure applied from a side of a carrying-in region whena door of a partition wall is opened, so as to eliminate variousdisadvantages resulting from the inclination of the container.

In order to achieve the above object, a processing apparatus of thepresent invention is a processing apparatus comprising: a container thatcontains a plurality of objects to be processed, the container includingan outlet port formed in a front surface thereof for taking out theobject to be processed, and a lid for hermetically sealing the outletport; a loading area into which the container is loaded; a conveyingarea whose atmosphere differs from an atmosphere in the loading area; apartition wall that separates the loading area and the conveying areafrom each other, and has an opening; a door for opening and closing theopening in the partition wall; and a stage for placing the container ata position near the opening in the loading area; wherein parts to bepressed are provided on opposite sides on a side of the front surface ofthe container, and the partition wall is provided with a pressing andholding mechanism having a pressing roller that rides on the part to bepressed of the container from a lateral side to press the containeragainst the opening in the partition wall and hold the container tightlyin place.

In the processing apparatus, after the container is placed on the stage,the container is brought into contact with the opening. Then, the doorand the lid are opened, and the object to be processed in the containeris transferred from the loading area to the conveying area.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferablethat the pressing and holding mechanism includes: a vertically extendedrotating shaft rotatably supported on the partition wall via a bracket;a flat spring member radially extended from the rotating shaft, the flatspring member holding the pressing roller at a distal end, and forwardlypressing and urging the pressing roller; and a driving part for rotatingthe rotating shaft.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferablethat at least the pair of upper and lower pressing rollers are connectedwith the rotating shaft through the flat spring members.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferablethat an atmosphere in the conveying area is an inert gas, and that apressure in the conveying area is set higher than a pressure in theloading area.

The processing apparatus of the present invention further comprises aguiding surface disposed on a rear surface of the partition wall on aside of the loading area, the guiding surface guiding the pressingroller of the pressing and holding mechanism positioned at a standbyposition toward the part to be pressed of the container.

The processing apparatus of the present invention further comprises arestricting member extended from the rotating shaft along an outersurface of the flat spring member, the restricting member supporting theflat spring member from a side of the outer surface when the pressingroller rides on the part to be pressed of the container from a lateralside.

The processing apparatus of the present invention further comprises asealing member disposed on a rear surface of the partition wall on aside of the loading area, the sealing member sealing a gap between thepartition wall and the container, when the container is brought intocontact with the opening.

The processing apparatus of the present invention further comprises aninert gas introducing passage disposed in the partition wall, the inertgas introducing passage introducing an inert gas into the container,when the lid of the container is opened while the door is being closed.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferablethat the parts to be pressed are formed of flange portions projectingfrom a front surface of the container in opposite directions.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferablethat the parts to be pressed are formed of recesses provided in oppositesides on a side of the front surface of the container.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferablethat the flat spring member is made of stainless, and that the pressingroller is made of a fluorocarbon resin.

A processing method of the present invention is a processing methodusing a processing apparatus comprising a container that contains aplurality of objects to be processed, the container including an outletport formed in a front surface thereof for taking out the object to beprocessed, and a lid for hermetically sealing the outlet port; a loadingarea into which the container is loaded; a conveying area whoseatmosphere differs from an atmosphere in the loading area; a partitionwall that separates the loading area and the conveying area from eachother, and has an opening; a door for opening and closing the opening inthe partition wall; and a stage for placing the container at a positionnear the opening in the loading area; wherein parts to be pressed areprovided on opposite sides on a side of the front surface of thecontainer, and the partition wall is provided with a pressing andholding mechanism having a pressing roller that rides on the part to bepressed of the container from a lateral side to press the containeragainst the opening in the partition wall and hold the container tightlyin place; the processing method comprising the steps of: placing thecontainer on the stage; bringing the container placed on the stage intocontact with the opening; causing the pressing roller of the pressingand holding mechanism disposed on the partition wall to ride on theparts to be pressed disposed on opposite side on a side of the frontsurface of the container from a lateral side, to press the containeragainst the opening in the partition wall and hold the container tightlyin place; and opening the door and the lid, and transferring an objectto be processed in the container from the loading area to the conveyingarea.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent inclination of thecontainer which may be caused by a pressure of the conveying area whenthe door of the partition wall is opened, so that various disadvantagesresulting from the inclination of the container can be eliminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment in whichthe present invention is applied to a vertical-type heat processingapparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part;

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the main part;

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the main part;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main part;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part ofanother embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is an illustrational view schematically showing a main part of aconventional processing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The mode for carrying our the present invention is described in detailbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is alongitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment in which the presentinvention is applied to a vertical-type heat processing apparatus. FIG.2 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part. FIG. 3 is aside view schematically showing the main part. FIG. 4 is a plan viewschematically showing the main part. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of themain part.

In FIG. 1, the reference number 1 depicts a vertical-type heatprocessing apparatus (processing apparatus) located in a clean room. Theheat processing apparatus 1 has a housing 2 defining an outline thereof.An inside of the housing 2 is divided by a partition wall 6 into acarrying-in region Sa into which a carrier 3 is carried, and a loadingarea Sb as a conveying region in which a wafer w is taken out from thecarrier 3 and is conveyed to a boat 4, and the boat 4 is loaded into aheat furnace 5 and is unloaded therefrom.

The carrier 3 is a so-called closable carrier (also referred to asFOUP), e.g., a plastic container with a lid which is capable ofcontaining a plurality of, e.g., about 25 objects to be processed suchas wafers w of a predetermined diameter, e.g., 300 mm diameter, suchthat the wafers w are horizontally arranged with a predeterminedvertical gap therebetween. The carrier 3 has a detachable lid 3 b forhermetically sealing an outlet port 3 a formed in a front surface of thecarrier 3. The lid 3 b is provided with a latch mechanism, not shown,for holding the lid 3 b on the outlet port 3 a of the carrier 3. Byreleasing the latch mechanism, the lid 3 b is detached from the outletport 3 a of the carrier 3.

In a back surface of the housing 2, there is formed a loading/unloadingport 7 through which the carrier 3 is loaded and unloaded. A table 8 onwhich the carrier 3 is placed during a loading/unloading operation isdisposed on a side of the back surface of the housing 2 outside theloading/unloading port 7. On a front part and a rear part in an upperpart of the carrying-in region Sa, there are opposingly disposed storageracks 9 for temporarily storing the plurality of carriers 3. On a sideof the partition wall 6 in a lower part of the carrying-in region Sa,there is disposed a conveying table 10 as a stage on which the carrier 3is placed for conveying the wafer.

The carrying-in region Sa includes a moving mechanism 11 disposed on thetable 8 for taking in and out the carrier 3 through theloading/unloading port 7, and a transfer mechanism (carrier transfermechanism) 12 for transferring the carrier 3 between the storage racks 9and the conveying table 10. The transfer mechanism 12 is mainly composedof an elevating mechanism 12 a disposed on one side of the carrying-inregion Sa, an elevating arm 12 b which is vertically moved by theelevating mechanism 12 a, and a transfer arm 12 c disposed on theelevating arm 12 b for supporting a bottom part or a top part of thecarrier 3 to horizontally transfer the same.

The carrying-in region Sa is communicated with the clean room throughthe loading/unloading port 7. An atmosphere in the carrying-in region Sais air whose pressure is the same as an atmospheric pressure. In orderto suppress or prevent formation of a natural oxidation film on asurface of the wafer w, an inside of the loading area Sb is an inert gasatmosphere when the heat processing apparatus 1 is operated. Forexample, an N₂ (nitrogen) gas is used as an inert gas. However, gasesother than the N₂ gas (e.g., an Ar gas, an He gas, and so on) may beused as an inert gas. The loading area Sb is air-tightly sealed, and apressure of the inert gas is maintained at a predetermined pressurewhich is sufficiently higher than an atmospheric pressure. For example,a value of the predetermined pressure is the atmospheric pressure plus10 to 1000 Pa. The heat processing apparatus 1 includes a pressurecontrol mechanism for maintaining a pressure of the inert gas in theloading area Sb at a predetermined value. Depending on a model of theexisting apparatus, a value of the pressure is controlled to be adjustedwithin a range between the atmospheric pressure plus 10 Pa and theatmospheric pressure plus 1000 Pa. There is a possibility that thepressure temporarily exceeds 1000 Pa under the influence of heat. Inthis state where the pressure value deviates from the controllablerange, the loading area is exhausted in a full-open state. An aircleaner is disposed in the loading area Sb so that an inside of theloading area Sb is sufficiently maintained cleaner than an inside of theclean room.

The partition wall 6 is provided with an opening 13 and a door 14capable of being opened and closed. When the carrier 3 placed on theconveying table 10 is brought into contact with the opening 13 from theside of the carrying-in region Sa, the opening 13 communicates an insideof the carrier 3 with the inside of the loading area Sb. The door 14closes the opening 13 from the side of the loading area Sb. A bore ofthe opening 13 is substantially identical to a bore of the outlet port 3a of the carrier 3, whereby the wafer w can be taken out and taken intothe carrier 3 through the opening 13.

The door 14 has a not-shown attaching/detaching mechanism for attaching(closing) and detaching (opening) the lid 3 b of the carrier 3, and anot-shown door opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing thedoor 14 from the side of the loading area Sb. The door 14 and the lid 3b are opened to the side of the loading area Sb by the dooropening/closing mechanism. Then, the door 14 and the lid 3 b are moved(retracted) upward or downward so as not to interfere with the wafer wto be conveyed. Below the conveying table 10, there is disposed a notchaligner 15 for aligning notches (cutouts) formed in circumferentialparts of each of the wafers w to align a crystal direction.

A lid member 16 capable of being vertically moved by an elevatingmechanism, not shown, is disposed in an upper behind part of the loadingarea Sb. By vertically moving the lid member 16 placing thereon a boat 4made of, e.g., quartz, as a holder for holding a number of, e.g., about100 semiconductor wafers such that the wafers are arranged with apredetermined vertical gap therebetween in a tier-like manner, the boat4 is loaded into the heat furnace 5 or is unloaded therefrom, and athroat 5 a is opened or closed. A shutter 17 capable of horizontallymoving to open and close the throat 5 a is disposed near the throat 5a.The shutter 17 shields the throat 5 a when the lid member 16 is openedand the heat-processed boat 4 is unloaded.

A conveying mechanism 18 is disposed in the loading area Sb, forconveying the wafer w between the carrier 3 on the conveying table 10and the boat 4. To be specific, the conveying mechanism 18 conveys thewafer w between the carrier 3 on the conveying table 10 and the notchaligner 15, between the notch aligner 15 and the boat 4, and between theheat-processed boat 4 and the vacant carrier 3 on the conveying table10. The conveying mechanism 18 includes a base table 18 a which isvertically movable and horizontally rotatable, and a fork 18 b having aplurality of, e.g., five thin-plate like forks movable in a longitudinaldirection (radial direction) of the base table 18 a. For example, thefork 18 b includes one independently movable single fork, and fourplural forks. Pitches between the plural forks can be vertically varied,with the single fork arranged on an intermediate height position takenas a criterion.

Although the conveying table 10 may be configured to simply placethereon the carrier 3, the conveying table 10 may be configured asfollows. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the conveying table10 is formed of a frame 10 a secured on the partition wall 6, and a seat10 c disposed above the frame 10 a through a linear guide 10 b so as tobe slidable within a small range in a direction perpendicular to thepartition wall 6. A plurality of, e.g., three positioning pins 19 areprojectingly disposed on the seat 10 c. The positioning pins 19 can beengaged with holes, not shown, formed in the bottom part of the carrier3 so as to position the carrier 3. The frame 10 a has a fixing mechanismfor fixing the carrier 3 on the seat 10 c, and a moving mechanism formoving the carrier 3 along with the seat 10 c from a remote position inwhich the carrier 3 is remote from the separation wall 6 to a contactposition in which the front surface of the carrier 3 is in contact withthe partition wall 6, and vice versa (illustration omitted).

Parts to be pressed 20 are disposed on opposite sides of the frontsurface of the carrier 3. In an example shown in FIG. 2, laterallyprojecting flange portions 3 c are formed on the front opposite sides ofthe carrier 3, and rear surfaces of the flange portions 3 c provide theparts to be pressed 20. In an example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, recesses21 are formed in the front opposite sides of the carrier 3 to formflange portions 3 c, and rear surfaces of the flange portions 3 cprovide the parts to be pressed 20. The partition wall 6 is equippedwith a pressing and holding mechanism 23 having a pressing roller 22that rides on the part to be pressed 20 from the lateral side andpresses the carrier 3 against the opening 13, i.e., a peripheral part ofthe opening 13 in the partition wall 6, so as to hold the carrier 3tightly in place. The pair of pressing and holding mechanisms 23 arearranged at positions corresponding to the opposite sides of the carrier3 on the conveying table 10.

The pressing and holding mechanism 23 includes a vertical rotating shaft25 rotatably supported on the partition wall 6 via a bracket 24, a flatspring member 26 radially extended from the rotating shaft 25 toforwardly press and urge the pressing roller 22 which is held on adistal end of the flat spring member 26, and an air cylinder 27 servingas a driving part for rotating the rotating shaft 25. The flat springmember 26 is preferably made of, e.g., stainless, and the pressingroller 22 is preferably made of, e.g., a fluorocarbon resin. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the bracket 24 is composed of a vertically elongatedattachment board 24 b secured on the partition wall 6 by a screw 24 a,and the pair of upper and lower support arms 24 c disposed on theattachment board 24 b. The rotating shaft 25 vertically bridging theupper and lower support pieces 24 c is supported via bearings 24 d to berotatable about a rotational axis thereof.

One end of the air cylinder 27 is coupled to a lever 28 disposed on alower end of the rotating shaft 25, and the other end of the aircylinder 27 is coupled to the side of the frame 10 a of the conveyingtable 10. When the lever 28 is pulled by the air cylinder 27, therotating shaft 25 is rotated counterclockwise to roll the pressingroller 22 through the flat spring member 26, such that the pressingroller 22 moves from a standby position I near the partition wall 6toward the part to be pressed 20 of the carrier 3, and rides on the partto be pressed 20. On the other hand, when the lever 28 is pushed by theair cylinder 27, the rotating shaft 25 is rotated clockwise to roll thepressing roller 22 through the flat spring member 26, such that thepressing roller 22 returns from the part to be pressed 20 of the carrier3 to the standby position I near the partition wall 6.

At least the pair of upper and lower pressing rollers 22 are connectedwith the rotating shaft 25 through the flat spring members 26,respectively. The flat spring members 26 and the pressing rollers 22 aresymmetrically arranged in the right and left direction, and thus theflange portions 3 c of the carrier 3 are pressed against the partitionwall 6 by means of spring forces (urging forces) of a total of four flatspring members 26. When the pressure in the loading area Sb is 1000 Pa,since a pressure of 11.2 kgf (109.8N) is applied to the carrier 3, eachflat spring member 26 has to exert a pushing force (pressing force) of2.8 kgf (27.4 N). Thus, the flat spring member 26 having such a pushingforce is used.

In order that the flat spring member 26 can exert this pressing force,the flat spring member 26 is previously curved against the spring forceat the standby position I. Since the flat spring members 26 and thepressing rollers 22 are symmetrical in the right and left direction, theright ones are explained in more detail. As shown in FIG. 5, one end(proximal end) of the flat spring member 26 is secured on a side surfaceof the rotating shaft 25 by a screw 29, and the other end (distal end orfree end) of the flat spring member 26 is extended forward. The pressingroller 22 is disposed on the distal end of the flat spring member 26 viaa bearing member 30 such that the pressing roller 22 can rotate about avertical axis. In this case, since the rotating shaft 25 is arranged ona rightward position so as not to interfere with the carrier 3, thedistal end side of the flat spring member 26 is extended forward to beobliquely curved leftward, and the pressing roller 22 rides on the partto be pressed 20 and presses the same from the lateral side of thecarrier 3.

Since there is a step between the standby position I and the part to bepressed 20 of the carrier 3, a tilted guiding surface 31 is preferablyprovided to connect the standby position I and the part to be pressed 20of the carrier 3 to each other, to thereby smoothly move the pressingroller 22 therebetween. The guiding surface 31 is provided on thepartition wall 6 or the attachment board 24 b. In order that a curvedpart 26 c of the flat spring member 26 is not oppositely curved by aresistance force against the pressing roller 22 during a climbingmovement thereof on the guiding surface 31, the rotating shaft 25 ispreferably supportable by a restricting member 32 extending along anouter surface of the curved part 26 c. In FIG. 5, the reference number33 is a sealing member for sealing a gap between the partition wall 6and a front peripheral part of the carrier 3, when the front surface ofthe carrier 3 is pressed against the partition wall 6. The partitionwall 6 includes an inert gas inlet passage 34 for introducing an inertgas (such as an N₂ gas) into the carrier 3 to replace an atmospheretherein with the gas, when the lid 3 b is opened while the door 14 isbeing closed.

Effects produced by the vertical-type heat processing apparatus(processing apparatus) as structured above, and a processing methodthereof are described below. At first, the carrier 3 is placed on thetable 8 by an operator or a transfer robot. Then, the carrier 3 is movedby the moving mechanism 11 through the loading/unloading port 7 to reacha transit position II in the carrying-in region Sa. Subsequently, thecarrier 3 is transferred by the transfer mechanism 12 from the transitposition II to the conveying table 10 or the storage rack 9 (see, FIG.1). In this manner, the plurality of carriers 3 to be heat-processed aresequentially brought into the carrying-in region Sa, and are stored inthe storage racks 9.

After the carrier 3 is transferred to the conveying table 10 and placedthereon, a not-shown sensor disposed on the conveying table 10, forexample, detects that the carrier 3 has been placed on the conveyingtable 10. After that, the pressing and holding mechanism 23 starts itsoperation. When the above-described fixing mechanism and the movingmechanism are provided, the carrier 3 is previously fixed on the seat 10c and is moved along with the seat 10 c relative to the partition wall6.

Next, an operation of the pressing and holding mechanism 23 isdescribed. The rotating shaft 25 is driven by the air cylinder 27through the lever 28 to be rotated at a predetermined angle (the rightrotating shaft is rotated counterclockwise, and the left rotating shaftis rotated clockwise), so that the pressing roller 22 is rolled throughthe flat spring member 26 from the standby position I on the lateralside toward the part to be pressed 20 as the rear surface of the flangeportion 3 c of the carrier 3. Then, the pressing roller 22 rides on thepart to be pressed 20 of the carrier 3 from the lateral side thereof, sothat the carrier 3 is pressed against the opening 13 (i.e., the frontperipheral part of the carrier 3 is pressed against the peripheral partof the opening 13 in the partition wall 6), and is tightly held in placeby the spring forces of a total of four flat spring members 26 eachpressing the pressing roller 22. Thus, when the door of the partitionwall 6 is opened so that a pressure of the inert gas in the loading areais applied to the carrier 3, the carrier 3 is prevented from beinginclined due to the pressure, which eliminates various disadvantagesresulting from the inclination of the carrier 3. That is to say, thereis no possibility that the inert gas leaks from the loading area Sbtoward the carrying-in region Sa to increase an oxidation density in theloading area Sb. In addition, it is not necessary to control thepressure in the loading area Sb to prevent the inclination of thecarrier 3. Further, deterioration of TAT can be prevented. Furthermore,erroneous opening and closing operations of the lid 3 b of the carrier,and a wrong mapping operation of the wafers in the carrier can beprevented. In order to release the pressing and holding force, therotational shaft 25 is driven by the air cylinder 27 to be rotated inthe reverse direction. Then, the pressing roller 22 is disengaged fromthe part to be pressed 20 and is returned to the standby position I.

The tilted guide surface 31 is placed between the standby position I andthe part to be pressed 20. Thus, even when there is a step between thestandby position I and the part to be pressed 20, the pressing roller 22can be smoothly, easily moved. In addition, since the rotating shaft 25can be supported by the restricting member 32, the curved part 26 c ofthe flat spring member 26 can be prevented from being oppositely curved.

After the lid 3 b of the carrier 3 and the door 14 are opened, aconveying operation of the wafers w is started. This conveying operationis performed by the conveying mechanism 18, which takes the wafers w outof the carrier 3 and sequentially brings the wafers w into the boat 4via the notch aligner 15. Upon completion of the conveying operation,the boat 4 is loaded into the heat furnace 5 where the wafers w aresubjected to a predetermined heat process. Following thereto, the boat 4is unloaded onto the loading area Sb, and the processed wafers w arereturned by the conveying mechanism 18 from the boat 4 to the vacantcarrier 3 on the conveying table 10. Thereafter, the carrier 3 isunloaded onto the table 8 via the transfer mechanism 12 and movingmechanism 11.

As described above, according to the present processing apparatus andthe processing method, the pressing rollers 22 of the pressing andholding mechanisms 23 ride on the parts to be pressed 20 provided on theopposite sides of the front surface of the carrier 3 from the lateralsides thereof, so that the carrier 3 is pressed against the opening 13and is tightly held in place. Thus, the carrier 3 can be prevented frombeing inclined by a pressure in the loading area Sb when the door of thepartition wall 6 is opened. Therefore, various disadvantages resultingfrom the inclination of the carrier 3 can be eliminated. Moreover,improvement in inert gas replacing property in the carrier 3 can beexpected.

The pressing and holding mechanism 23 includes the vertical rotatingshaft 25 rotatably supported on the partition wall 6 via the bracket 24,the flat spring member 26 radially extended from the rotating shaft 25to forwardly press and urge the pressing roller 22 which is held on adistal end of the flat spring member 26, and the air cylinder 27 servingas a driving part for rotating the rotating shaft 25. Thus, the pressingand holding mechanism 23 of such a simple structure can exert asufficient pressing and holding force, as well as reduction in size andcost can be achieved.

At least the pair of upper and lower pressing rollers 22 are connectedwith the rotating shaft 25 through the flat spring members 26,respectively. Thus, spring forces capable of sufficiently enduring apressure of the inert gas in the loading area Sb can be provided by atleast a total of four flat spring members 26. An atmosphere of theloading area Sb is an inert gas, and a pressure of the loading area Sbis set higher than that of the carrying-in region Sa. Thus, the loadingarea Sb is excellent in air-tightness, which prevents invasion ofparticles from outside and allows a time period required for replacingatmospheric air with an inert gas to be reduced. Therefore, increase inoxidation density can be restrained, then formation of a natural oxidefilm on a surface of a wafer can be prevented. The pressing and holdingmechanisms 23 are arranged on the partition wall 6 at positionscorresponding to the opposite sides of the carrier 3. Thus, differentfrom the pressing member disclosed in JP2004-6804A, an installationspace for the pressing and holding mechanisms 23 can be easily secured.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part ofanother embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, thesame parts as those in the above-described embodiment are shown by thesame reference numbers, and their description is omitted. A pressing andholding mechanism 23 in this embodiment is mainly composed of ahorizontal movement member 36 disposed on an attachment board 24 b via alinear guide 35 to be slidable in a right and left direction, a pressingroller 22 disposed on the horizontal movement member 36 through a flatspring member 26, and an air cylinder 27 as a driving part forhorizontally moving the horizontal movement member 36. There aredisposed the pair of upper and lower horizontal movement members 36 witha distance therebetween, and the upper and lower horizontal movementmembers 36 are connected to each other through a connecting member 37.

When each of the horizontal movement members 36 is driven by the aircylinder 27 to be slid toward a carrier, the pressing roller 22, whichis disposed on the horizontal movement member 36 in a forward movementdirection thereof through the flat spring member 26, comes close to apart to be pressed 20 of a flange portion 3 c of the carrier 3 from alateral side thereof, and rides on the part to be pressed 20, so thatthe part to be pressed 20 is pressed and held by a spring force of theflat spring member 26. The flat spring member 26 in this embodiment isnot curved but linear. Also in this embodiment, the same effects asthose in the above-described embodiment can be produced.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described indetail with reference to the drawings, the present invention is notlimited thereto, and various design changes are possible withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. For example, an inertgas or a clean dry air may be selectively supplied to a loading areacorresponding to a process step of a wafer. In addition, the drivingpart may be a motor.

1. A processing apparatus comprising: a container that contains aplurality of objects to be processed, the container including an outletport formed in a front surface thereof for taking out the object to beprocessed, and a lid for hermetically sealing the outlet port; a loadingarea into which the container is loaded; a conveying area whoseatmosphere differs from an atmosphere in the loading area; a partitionwall that separates the loading area and the conveying area from eachother, and has an opening; a door for opening and closing the opening inthe partition wall; and a stage for placing the container at a positionnear the opening in the loading area; wherein parts to be pressed areprovided on opposite sides on a side of the front surface of thecontainer, and the partition wall is provided with a pressing andholding mechanism having a pressing roller that rides on the part to bepressed of the container from a lateral side to press the containeragainst the opening in the partition wall and hold the container tightlyin place.
 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thepressing and holding mechanism includes: a vertically extended rotatingshaft rotatably supported on the partition wall via a bracket; a flatspring member radially extended from the rotating shaft, the flat springmember holding the pressing roller at a distal end, and forwardlypressing and urging the pressing roller; and a driving part for rotatingthe rotating shaft.
 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 2,wherein at least the pair of upper and lower pressing rollers areconnected with the rotating shaft through the flat spring members. 4.The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an atmosphere inthe conveying area is an inert gas, and a pressure in the conveying areais set higher than a pressure in the loading area.
 5. The processingapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guiding surfacedisposed on a rear surface of the partition wall on a side of theloading area, the guiding surface guiding the pressing roller of thepressing and holding mechanism positioned at a standby position towardthe part to be pressed of the container.
 6. The processing apparatusaccording to claim 2, further comprising a restricting member extendedfrom the rotating shaft along an outer surface of the flat springmember, the restricting member supporting the flat spring member from aside of the outer surface when the pressing roller rides on the part tobe pressed of the container from a lateral side.
 7. The processingapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing memberdisposed on a rear surface of the partition wall on a side of theloading area, the sealing member sealing a gap between the partitionwall and the container, when the container is brought into contact withthe opening.
 8. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising an inert gas introducing passage disposed in the partitionwall, the inert gas introducing passage introducing an inert gas intothe container, when the lid of the container is opened while the door isbeing closed.
 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe parts to be pressed are formed of flange portions projecting from afront surface of the container in opposite directions.
 10. Theprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parts to bepressed are formed of recesses provided in opposite sides on a side ofthe front surface of the container.
 11. The processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the flat spring member is made ofstainless, and the pressing roller is made of a fluorocarbon resin. 12.A processing method using a processing apparatus comprising a containerthat contains a plurality of objects to be processed, the containerincluding an outlet port formed in a front surface thereof for takingout the object to be processed, and a lid for hermetically sealing theoutlet port; a loading area into which the container is loaded; aconveying area whose atmosphere differs from an atmosphere in theloading area; a partition wall that separates the loading area and theconveying area from each other, and has an opening; a door for openingand closing the opening in the partition wall; and a stage for placingthe container at a position near the opening in the loading area;wherein parts to be pressed are provided on opposite sides on a side ofthe front surface of the container, and the partition wall is providedwith a pressing and holding mechanism having a pressing roller thatrides on the part to be pressed of the container from a lateral side topress the container against the opening in the partition wall and holdthe container tightly in place; the processing method comprising thesteps of: placing the container on the stage; bringing the containerplaced on the stage into contact with the opening; causing the pressingroller of the pressing and holding mechanism disposed on the partitionwall to ride on the parts to be pressed disposed on opposite side on aside of the front surface of the container from a lateral side, to pressthe container against the opening in the partition wall and hold thecontainer tightly in place; and opening the door and the lid, andtransferring an object to be processed in the container from the loadingarea to the conveying area.